Information communication device of obtaining information by demodulating a bright line pattern included in an image

• US 9,166,810 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Oshima, Mitsuaki, Yamada, Kazunori, Aoyama, Hideki, Fuchigami, Ikuo, Shin, Hidehiko, Mukai, Tsutomu, Matsushita, Yosuke, Iida, Shigehiro, Nakanishi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, NELSON D
• Application Number:
  US13/902,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20130330088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.99, 3482111-2115, 348/211.14, 348/302, 348/229.1, 348/221.1, 725/105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/541 Digital intensity or amplitude modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/76 by influencing the image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/1506 with addressing of the image-sensor elements H04N3/1575 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

An information communication method includes: setting an exposure time of an image sensor so that, in an image obtained by capturing a subject by the image sensor, a bright line corresponding to an exposure line included in the image sensor appears according to a change in luminance of the subject; capturing the subject that changes in luminance by the image sensor with the set exposure time, to obtain the image including the bright line; and obtaining information by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the bright line included in the obtained image.

Claims

1. An information communication method of obtaining information from a subject using an image sensor including a plurality of exposure lines, the information communication method comprising:

obtaining first image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at a different time and performing image capture with a first exposure time so that an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines; and

obtaining second image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and performing image capture with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines, and obtaining information by demodulating a bright line striped pattern that appears in the second image data, the bright line striped pattern corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines,

wherein in the obtaining of second image data;

the second exposure time is set to less than or equal to 1/480 second to cause the bright line striped pattern to appear in the second image data; and

the information is obtained by demodulating a frequency specified by the bright line striped pattern.

2. The information communication method according to claim 1,

wherein the obtaining first image data and the obtaining second image data are switchable.

3. An information communication device that obtains information from a subject using an image sensor including a plurality of exposure lines, the information communication device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform;

obtaining first image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines in the image sensor each at a different time and performing image capture with a first exposure time so that an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines; and

obtaining second image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and performing image capture with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines, and obtaining information by demodulating a bright line striped pattern that appears in the second image data, the bright line striped pattern corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines,

wherein in the obtaining of second image data;

the second exposure time is set to less than or equal to 1/480 second to cause the bright line striped pattern to appear in the second image data; and

the information is obtained by demodulating a frequency specified by the bright line striped pattern.

4. The information communication device according to claim 3,

wherein the normal imaging unit and the visible light communication unit are switchable.

5. A non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for use in a computer, the computer obtaining first image data by (i) starting exposure sequentially for a plurality of exposure lines each at a different time, the plurality of exposure lines being included in an image sensor and (ii) performing image capture with a first exposure time so that an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines, the computer program causing the computer to execute instructions comprising:

obtaining second image data by starting exposure sequentially for the plurality of exposure lines each at a different time and performing image capture with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time so that an exposure time of each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps with an exposure time of an adjacent one of the plurality of exposure lines; and

obtaining information by demodulating a bright line striped pattern that appears in the second image data, the bright line striped pattern corresponding to the plurality of exposure lines,

wherein in the obtaining of second image data;

the second exposure time is set to less than or equal to 1/480 second to cause the bright line striped pattern to appear in the second image data; and

the information is obtained by demodulating a frequency specified by the bright line striped pattern.